PROPOSED HIGH STREET TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN

Pottstown Borough has conducted two studies in recent years to revitalize its downtown area andmake its main street, High Street, safer and more attractive for pedestrians.

Both the Pottstown Downtown Comprehensive Plan of 1994 and the Community and EconomicDevelopment Plan of 2000 recommended � narrowing � High Street to o ne moving lane of trafficin each direction to �increase the ease of browsing and cross shopping in downtown Pottstown, �including �e xperimenting with on-street parking patterns. �

These goals fit well with PennDOT goals, as expressed in its January 2001 � Pennsylvania �sTraffic Calming Handbook � and its 1996 � Statewide Bicycle &Pedestrian Master Plan. �

The traffic calming handbook encourages local municipalities to use street design to slow downtraffic speeds � in order that �neighborhoods throughout Pennsylvania will be able to enjoy saferstreets that are shared by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. �

According to the PennDOT manual, Traffic Calming Measures may be appropriate on state-owned roads such as 1. Arterial roads within downtown districts or commercial areas (with posted speeds of 40

mph or less).

In addition, PennDOT �s Statewide Bicycle &Pedestrian Master Plan of May 1996 has adoptedthe twin goals of:

1. Doubling the percentage of trips made by foot or bicycle2. Reducing the number of injuries and fatalities suffered by bicycles and pedestrians by 10

percent.

During the last year, the Pottstown Planning Commission and the Montgomery County PlanningCommission reviewed numerous street configurations for High Street with the following goals inmind:

1. �Narrow � High Street to make it more attractive to pedestrians2. Slow down traffic3. Make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street4. Promote bicycle use and safety5. Reduce the potential for accidents6. Increase on-street parking

The planning commissions reviewed more than a score of possible lane configurations based onactual practices throughout the United States and Europe. At a meeting on November 11, 2000,the planning commissions shared photographs of numerous lane configurations with District 6assistant traffic engineer �Dutch � Eichorn and discussed possible scenarios for High Street.

As a result of those meetings, the Pottstown Planning Commission adopted Pottstown �s HighStreet angle parking plan. The plan was presented in detail to the Pottstown DowntownImprovement District Authority, representing downtown merchants, and at a public hearing towhich all affected High Street property owners received a written invitation.

The proposed plan has received the written endorsement of both the Pottstown DowntownImprovement District Authority and the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce.

The plan, was adopted by Pottstown Council on April 9, 2001. It would include the area of HighStreet from Manatawny Street to Madison Street.

CURRENT CONFIGURATION OF HIGH STREET IS :

Two 8 foot parallel parking lanes

Two 10.5 foot traffic lanes in eachdirection

Turning lane of 10 feet

PROPOSED HIGH STREET CONFIGURATION:

1. 11 foot eastbound travel lane

2. 11 foot westbound travel lane

3. 10 foot turning lane

4. 6 foot eastbound bike/multi-purpose lane

5. 6 foot westbound bike/multipurpose lane

6. 8 foot parallel parking lane on south side

7. 18 foot back-in angle parking on northside.

(Diagram on follow ing page)

ADVANTAGES OF PROPOSED HIGH STREET CONFIGURATION:

1. Bike/multi-purpose lane � narrows the street � because i t is not wide enough tobe used as a travel lane.

2. Research shows that �narrowing the street � encourages motorists to slow down.

3. Bike/multi-purpose lane promotes bicycle safety.

4. Bike/multi-purpose lane provides a safe space for people who are parking toback up without interrupting the flow of traffic.

5. Bike/multi-purpose lane provides a safe space for delivery trucks toload/unload without interrupting the flow of traffic

6. Bike/multi-purpose lane provides motorists who are pulling out of a parkingspace with a 6-foot �safety margin � to see clearly before entering the lane ofmoving traffic.

7. Total number of parking spaces will increase.

8. Back-in angle parking is much easier to use than parallel parking. It requiresonly the first, easy part of the parallel parking maneuver � backing in.

9. Back-in angle parking is much safer than head-in angle parking, because iteliminates backing in to a lane of moving traffic.

10. Back-in angle parking makes it possible to place a bike lane adjacent to angleparking without compromising safety. Calculations by John Nawn, Pottstowntraffic consultant, P.E., PTOE, show that a motorist in a back-angle parkingspace, even if parked next to a van that fully obstructs the view, can still look13.5 feet up the bicycle lane, providing enough time for a bicyclist traveling 10miles per hour to stop even on a wet pavement.

11. According to a five-year accident history of High Street from PennDOT, anglecollisions occurred 44% of the time, making them by far the most frequent typeof accident. Adding a bike/multi-purpose lane will reduce this by increasing thedriver �s visibility when pullin g out of a parking space into the traffic lane.

12. PennDOT Publication 201, specifically 67 PA Code Chapter 201.22 , wasclearly written with pull-in angle parking in mind, not back-in angle parking,because there is no back-in angle parking elsewhere in Pennsylvania.

13. For purpose of safety and traffic flow, back-in angle parking has the samecharacteristics parallel parking, not pull-in angle parking.

BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING IS MUCH EASIER THAN

THE PARALLEL PARKING ALREADY USED ON HIGH STREET.

WITH BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING YOU ARE NOW DONE

With parallel parking you must now go out andback until you can maneuver your car close tothe curb.

Most vehicles do not have enough overhangto hit trees or poles. This car �s right rearwheel is aga inst the curb, and there is stillmore than two feet between the bumper andtree.

Bollards of concrete filled lead, paintedblack, already protect the Levitz clock. Bollards can be used in the few placeswhere ob jects are at risk of being hit.

BACK-IN PARKING IS ALREADY COMMON IN PARKING LOTSWHERE IT IS NOT REQUIRED OR EVEN ENCOURAGED

Grigg Athletic Field, behind PottstownMiddle School

Pottstown Middle School parkinglot

Left and below, PottstownHigh School parking lot

PennDOT �S 1996 STATEWIDE BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN MASTERPLAN SAYS THAT ALL ROADWAYS SHOULD BE BICYCLECOMPATIBLE AND SETS TWO GOALS:

"� Half of all trips in the downtown areas of small cities should be made byfoot or bicycle

"� One in five commuting trips in small cities will be made by foot or bicycle

Current percentage of work trips by foot or bicycle in Pennsylvania:Big cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12%Small cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.8%Suburban areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5%College towns (Lock Haven, State College, Indiana) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44%

Source: PennDOT Bicycle/pedestrian Master Plan

Current percentage of work trips by foot or bicycle in Europe:Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48%Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36%France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35%Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39%England and Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49%Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33%Denmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41%

John Sewell, formermayor of Toronto, rideshis bike to work on nicedays.

One third of all trips in Holland are taken by bicycle.

ADVANTAGES OF WALKING/BICYCLING

1. Walking and bicycling are excellent exercise, which promotes good health.

Currently 55% of Americans are overweight. Obesity is secondonly to smoking as the leading cause of premature death inAmerica.

Currently, only 1 in 5 Americans are physically active for at least ahalf-hour per day. Walking for a half-hour per day significantlylowers the risk of heart attacks.

The Center for Disease Control wants the percentage of non-motorized trips to double from 7% today to 14% in 10 years.

2. Walking is the least expensive method of transportation. Bicycling is thesecond least expensive method of transportation. Both add �life � to ourstreets.

3. Walking and bicycling reduce the need for parking lots. They take upvery little space.

4. Walking and bicycling do not cause air pollution as cars do.

5. Walking and bicycling are much safer than cars, which kill 40,000Americans per year.

People on bicycles take up a lot less roomthan people in cars.

1. Wilmington, Delaware

Contact person: Thomas WarringtonDepartment of Public Works900 E 11th STWilmington, DE 19802302.571.4233

The City of Wilmington, Delaware, has six blocks of 60 and 90-degree back-in angle parkingdating back about 50 years. By city ordinance, Wilmington requires all angle parking to be back-in because of the safety factor.

For 60-degree angle parking, regulations require 19 feet out from the curb for parking spaces, toallow for vehicles with extended cabs, plus a minimum of 11 feet for a travel lane, for a total of 30feet for traffic going in one direction.

The highest average daily traffic for any block with angle parking is the 1000 block of MarketStreet, with an ADT of 6,500 vehicles.

Wilmington has not experienced any significant problems with accidents or impediments totravel flow with angle parking.

(See attached letter from Thomas Warrington.)

2. Seattle, Washington

Contact person: Bill JackSeattle TransportationMunicipal Building, Room 410600 Fourth AvenueSeattle, WA 98104206.684.8329.

The City of Seattle, Washington, has about 280 blocks of angle parking spaces, most of which areback-in. Seattle also has pull-in angle parking, but prefers back-in angle parking because it issafer, especially for pedestrians.

North Queen Anne Street, shown above, is one of the higher volume traffic streets, with about6,500 ADT.

Seattle has had back-in angle parking for more than 30 years.

(See attached letter from Bill Jack.)

3. Washington, D.C.

Contact person: Rashid Sleemi202.671.1573

Washington, D.C. has six blocks of back-in angle parking going back 15 to 20 years.

The busiest thoroughfare is the 2400 block of 18th Street NW, which has an ADT of 9,200. Thestreet has two lanes of traffic going in each direction with no maneuver lane in front of theparking spaces.

Other areas with back-in angle parking are several blocks on Water Street, NW, a low volumetraffic area, and Vermont Avenue, NW, between 14th and Q streets, with an ADT of 5,000.

Although no traffic records are available, Mr. Sleemi reports the perception is that back-in angleparking does not create any traffic hazards.

4. Indianapolis, Indiana

Contact person: John BurkhardtAdministrator, Traffic Division1725 S. West StreetIndianapolis, IN 46225317. 327.2903

Indianapolis has one block of back-in angle parking, along the federal courthouse on New YorkAvenue, going back at least 15 years.

New York Avenue is a one-way street consisting of a north parallel parking lane, three trafficlanes, a right turn lane, and angle parking. The right turn lane is directly adjacent to the angleparking. Average daily traffic is 13,800.

The latest traffic records, for the years 1999-2000, reflect there were a total of two accidents overtwo years at the nearest intersection. They do not know if those accidents had anything to dowith the angle parking.